Smart Match Legal · Solicitor Recruitment

Fee-share moves for
senior lawyers.

Confidential conversations for consultant lawyers and partners weighing a fee-share move or a salaried role, and retained search for law firms that are hiring. There's never a fee to lawyers.

Take-Home Calculator Recruitment Services

Can't take on a case? Refer it via Law Reach →  ·  Hiring, not looking? See options for law firms →  ·  Selling or merging your firm? Mergers & acquisitions →

70–80%
Of your billings, on fee-share
See what a fee-share move could mean for your income with our take-home calculator →
Recruitment
Looking for your next role?
A retained recruitment service for solicitors — traditional salaried roles, or fee-share arrangements for those who want more autonomy. See current roles →

For Candidates

Represented properly.

Smart Match Legal works exclusively for you as the candidate — whether you're looking for a traditional salaried role or a fee-share arrangement with more autonomy. One confidential point of contact, proper preparation before any introduction, and no fee to you at any stage.

Salaried or Fee-Share

Both options are on the table. We'll talk through what fits your practice and stage of career, not push you toward one model.

Confidential, Start to Finish

Your current firm is never approached or informed without your explicit consent, at any point in the process.

No Fee to Candidates

As with every service on this site, there's never a fee to you. Smart Match Legal is paid by the hiring firm.

How Fee-Share Actually Works — A Worked Example

You bill £200,000 in personal fees over a year
At a typical 70–80% retention rate, you keep £140,000–£160,000
The remainder covers the firm's compliance infrastructure, professional indemnity insurance, and admin support
Compare that to a salaried role, where pay is fixed regardless of what you bill

These figures are illustrative. The exact retention rate and structure are agreed directly between you and the specific firm — we'll talk through what a realistic number looks like for your practice before any introduction is made.

See Recruitment Options

Considering a sale or merger for your firm instead? See Mergers and Acquisitions ↓

Fee-Share Calculator

What would you take home?

Enter what you bill and what you're paid now. The calculator shows what a fee-share arrangement could pay you at a typical retention rate, and what you'd need to bill to match your current package.

£200,000
Fees you personally bill and collect in a year.
75%
Typically 70–80%. The rest covers the firm's compliance, insurance and support.
Your fee-share income
£150,000
Difference against your current package+£60,000
Billings needed to match your current package£120,000

Illustrative only, and before tax. Fee-share lawyers are usually self-employed, so this figure is before income tax, National Insurance and personal costs such as pension contributions, while a salaried role may include employer pension and other benefits. The exact rate and structure are agreed directly between you and the firm.

Talk Through Your Numbers

Current Roles · 2 live

Roles we're recruiting for now.

Two live fee-share mandates for consultant lawyers and partners. Each firm's name is shared on a confidential first call.

Fee-shareLondon · Hybrid or Remote
Up to 90%fee share

Consultant Lawyer, Corporate & Commercial

Business law firm headquartered in Mayfair, with a European hub

Keep up to 85% of what you bill, up to 90% for exceptional rainmakers.

A senior consultant role with a firm focused on corporate, transactional and commercial work.

What's on offer

  • A fee share that rises with your billings:
    Up to £150,000
    70%
    £150,000 – £300,000
    75%
    £300,000 – £500,000
    80%
    Above £500,000
    85%
    Strategic hiresExceptional rainmaker arrangements may be considered individually and require approval
    Up to 90%
  • Work in London or remotely, whichever suits your practice
  • Firm-generated work you can be allocated, plus a share of fees on matters you refer across the firm
  • Bonuses for high performers and a pathway to Partner from around £500k collected fees
  • Compliance, PII, billing, systems and admin support handled centrally

Who this suits

  • Partners, counsel, legal directors, senior associates with origination, and established consultants
  • A portable book or pipeline of £200k+ a year, ideally £250k–£300k+
  • Corporate & M&A, private equity, venture capital, banking & finance, funds, commercial & contract, commercial disputes or general counsel work

The firm's name is shared on a confidential first call.

Apply in Confidence Book a call
Fee-shareUK & International · Remote
70–80%fee share

Consultant Partner, International Fee-Share Law Firm

Established international firm with 360+ partners across 25+ jurisdictions

Keep 70–80% of what you bill, with an established international firm behind you.

The firm is appointing in the UK and internationally, and is open to lawyers in countries where it doesn't yet have an office.

What's on offer

  • A fee share that rises with your billings each year:
    Up to £300,000
    70%
    £300,000 – £500,000
    75%
    Above £500,000
    80%
    Clients you introduceOn all work for that client, when you refer it to colleagues
    15% commission
    Each rate applies to the fees within its band. Paid monthly on fees collected.
  • Compliance, insurance, practice management and AI tools, accounts and marketing support provided
  • Offices and co-working space across the UK and internationally, with a network for cross-border referrals
  • Work from anywhere: your office, your home, or any of the firm's offices
  • Freedom to build your own team as your practice grows

Who this suits

  • Lawyers with around 10 years' experience in their field, qualified in the UK or abroad
  • An established or developing client following
  • Partners and senior lawyers who want to keep more of what they bill, without running their own firm

The firm's name is shared on a confidential first call.

Apply in Confidence Book a call

Refer — Law Reach

Pass it on. Properly.

Every solicitor turns away work from time to time. Law Reach is a low-friction referral scheme — refer the case, and earn a fee share on the resulting work, or donate it to charity instead. It's free to join, there's no obligation, and it's a lower-commitment first step than the full recruitment or fee-share conversation.

Reasons Solicitors Refer a Matter On

Outside your expertise
No capacity right now
Conflict of interest
Wrong jurisdiction for the client
Budget doesn't match the case — refer it, don't turn it away

The resulting fee-share arrangement is agreed directly between your firm and the receiving firm — Smart Match Legal is the introducer, not a party to that agreement.

Refer a Case

Prefer to talk it through first? Book a call →

Recruitment

Traditional roles. Properly matched.

Smart Match Legal runs a standard, retained recruitment service — for solicitors who want the security of a salaried position, and for firms who'd rather hire well than hire fast. Fee-share arrangements are also available for solicitors who'd prefer more autonomy over a straight salary; we can discuss whether that's the right fit for you.

For Solicitors

Salaried and fee-share moves, handled in confidence, with no fee to you:

1

Traditional, Employed Roles

Salaried positions across a range of firms — for solicitors who want stability and a structured career path.

2

Fee-Share Options

Prefer more autonomy and a bigger share of what you bill? We also work with fee-share arrangements — terms are agreed directly between you and the hiring firm, and we'll talk through whether it suits your practice.

3

Confidential Process

Your current firm is never approached or informed without your explicit consent, at any point in the process.

4

No Fee to Candidates

As with every service on this site, there's never a fee to you. Smart Match Legal is paid by the hiring firm.

Register Your Interest

Prefer to send your CV directly? nick@smartmatchnetwork.com

For Law Firms

Legal-only, personally run from brief to placement. Retained search, on clear, fixed terms:

R

Retained Search

£5,000 payable upfront to commence the search, plus a 20% placement fee on start date. A committed, exclusive search for business-critical hires that need dedicated, priority attention.

F

Fee-Share Partner Sourcing

Building or growing a fee-share model instead? That's a different service — see Fee-Share Partner Sourcing below.

Discuss Retained Search

Confidential, no-obligation conversation — nick@smartmatchnetwork.com

Is This The Right Path For You? — For Solicitors

You want the security of a salary, or you're weighing that against a fee-share arrangement
You're currently employed and simply want a change of firm or environment
You value structure, a fixed income, and a defined career path over full autonomy
You're curious about fee-share but not sure it's the right fit yet

If any of these sound like you, get in touch — we'll talk through what fits, salaried or fee-share, and treat it as a genuine conversation either way.

Recruitment — Fee-Share Partner Sourcing

Building a fee-share model?

Sourcing entrepreneurial partners with a genuine portable book is a different skill from traditional recruitment — vetting for client following, not just CV fit. Confidential, and sourced directly from an established legal network.

Vetted for Portable Books

Candidates are assessed specifically for genuine, portable client relationships — not just years of PQE or a CV that reads well.

Sourced Directly

Drawn from an established legal network rather than a generic candidate database or job board response.

Confidential Outreach

Your model isn't shopped around publicly — approaches are made discreetly, one relevant conversation at a time.

Discuss Fee-Share Sourcing

Confidential, no-obligation conversation — nick@smartmatchnetwork.com

Looking for a traditional salaried hire instead? See retained search for law firms ↓

Mergers and Acquisitions

Selling, merging, or growing by acquisition?

If you're a principal or partner weighing up a sale, merger, or succession plan for your firm — retirement, a succession gap, wanting to merge for scale, or the cost of run-off insurance — Smart Match Legal can put you in a confidential conversation with a specialist consultant lawyer who has advised on 240 law firm sales and mergers over the past 10 years. The same conversation works in reverse too: if you're looking to grow by acquiring another practice, we can introduce you to firms in exactly that position. We make the introduction and stay involved through the process — you deal directly with an advisor with that track record, not a generalist.

240 Deals, 10 Years

A track record built specifically on law firm sales, mergers and succession over a decade — not general corporate mergers and acquisitions applied to legal practices.

Confidential From The Start

Early conversations stay discreet. Nothing is shopped around the market, and there's no obligation to proceed after an initial discussion.

Aligned On Outcome

A modest fee to get started, with the balance payable on completion — so the advisor's incentive is the same as yours: getting the deal done.

Common reasons principals start the conversation

None of these need a firm decision yet — an exploratory, confidential conversation costs you nothing.

Start a Confidential Conversation

Prefer to talk it through first? Book a call →

Who You'll Speak To

Two people. One confidential conversation.

Smart Match Legal is run by Nick and Louise Starbuck. Whoever you speak to, it stays between you and us until you decide otherwise.

Nick Starbuck

Nick Starbuck

Co-founder Fee-share moves, salaried roles, hiring firms and M&A

Nick speaks in confidence with lawyers and partners considering a fee-share or salaried move, works with law firms on retained search, and makes confidential introductions for principals considering a sale, merger or succession. He brings a background in franchise and consultancy recruitment and business development, and also runs nickstarbuck.com.

Book a call LinkedIn
Louise Starbuck

Louise Starbuck

Co-founder Fee-share moves, salaried roles and hiring firms

Louise speaks in confidence with lawyers and partners considering a fee-share or salaried move, and works with law firms looking to hire. Her background spans recruitment, insurance, executive coaching and charity work, so she starts by understanding what's driving a move before any introduction is made.

Book a call LinkedIn

Nick and Louise Starbuck co-founded Smart Match Legal — specialist recruitment for entrepreneurial lawyers. Smart Match works with a small number of leading fee-share law firms to introduce the right lawyers at the right time. All introductions are handled exclusively through Smart Match Legal, ensuring candidates receive proper preparation, context, and advocacy before any formal approach is made.

Whatever you're looking for — a fee-share arrangement, a salaried role, or advice on selling or merging your firm — that's a decision worth making with proper context, and our role is to make sure you have it.

All conversations are handled with complete confidentiality. Our role is to introduce and facilitate — once that introduction is made, you'll be speaking directly with the hiring firm, not with Smart Match Legal. The resulting fee-share, consultancy, or employment agreement is made directly between you and that firm; Smart Match Legal is not a party to it. Our job is to ensure the right lawyers reach the right firms, and that those firms get the right information about each candidate, making the process smooth and well-positioned from both sides.

A leading international fee-share law firm

Fee-share law firm recruitment · UK & international

A national business networking franchise

Former franchise recruitment · National business networking franchise

A specialist franchise recruitment consultancy

Franchise recruitment specialist · Specialist sector recruitment

Smart Match Legal

Specialist professional recruitment network

Smart Match Legal

Nick & Louise Starbuck · Co-founders
Exclusive
Fee-share law firm recruitment partner — UK & international
Specialist
Consultancy & network-model recruitment
Confidential
All conversations handled with full discretion
No Fee
No fee to lawyers — Smart Match is paid by the hiring firm
Speak to us

nick@smartmatchnetwork.com

All applications handled exclusively through Smart Match Legal

Take The First Step

Your next role. Or your exit.

Complete the form below for a confidential, no-obligation conversation with Nick or Louise Starbuck. Your current firm will never be contacted without your explicit consent. All details are held securely and used solely to progress your enquiry.

Prefer to talk first? Book a confidential call directly →

All information is treated with strict confidence · nick@smartmatchnetwork.com

✓

Thank you — we'll be in touch shortly.

We'll contact you within one working day to arrange a confidential conversation. In the meantime, if you have any questions please email nick@smartmatchnetwork.com directly.

Prefer to speak directly first? nick@smartmatchnetwork.com